Oleksandr Usyk vs Anthony Joshua 2 has finally been confirmed.
The rematch will go down on August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with the WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight world titles on the line.
Usyk said: “I have a goal, with the help of the Lord I will complete my mission!”
Joshua gave a longer statement.
He said: “What a roller coaster journey, fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world for the 12th consecutive time.
“I won the belt, unified the division won another belt, lost the belts, became two-time unified heavyweight champion and now have my date with history set to become three-time unified heavyweight champion of the world.
“What an opportunity.
“Fighting championship level back to back has had its pros and cons, but I decide every day to get stronger, to learn from my experiences and grow.
“A happy fighter is a dangerous fighter and I am the happiest and most motivated I have been.”
Usyk won the belts from Joshua last September at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a comprehensive unanimous decision victory.
There was always a rematch clause in the contract between AJ and Usyk and the Brit indicated in the immediate aftermath of his loss that he would be activating the clause.
However, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Usyk returned to his home to help defend his country and that put a delay on any proposed bout.
Eventually, Usyk decided to leave Ukraine and begin training for the Joshua rematch believing it could be a powerful victory for his country in a time of turmoil.
“I decided to start preparing for a rematch with Anthony Joshua, a large number of my friends support me, all the rest of the good and peace, Thank God for everything.
“That’s how I will help my country more and it’s better than being in territorial defence and running around Kyiv with a machine gun,” Usyk said back in March.
It’s believed that Usyk has been training in Poland as he prepares for his showdown with Joshua, but AJ, a former two-time world champion, has been preparing for this fight pretty much since his defeat.
Angel Fernandez, a man who has been a part of Joshua camps in the past, will work alongside AJ’s new trainer Robert Garcia for the Usyk rematch.
Matchroom kingpin Eddie Hearn had previously told talkSPORT that AJ’s camp wanted the fight in the UK, but Usyk’s team wanted to maximise the profits from the fight and therefore, Saudi Arabia was the logical option.
“We would like it in England because it’s a must-win for AJ and it’s always an advantage to have that home advantage, but one of the issues is it’s a financial split and obviously, Team Usyk is going to want as much money as they can for that fight. Understandable,” Hearn said back in April.
“So we have to look at the other options and there is a lot more money to do the fight elsewhere. If we had our way, London would be the choice because it’s an important fight for AJ to win obviously,” Hearn stated.
Credit: talksport.com
